


Cafe Shinso

by MeltyRum



Category: Persona 3, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Introspection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22155874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeltyRum/pseuds/MeltyRum
Summary: Shinso is visited by a few classmates at his part time job.
Relationships: Aigis/Arisato Minako, Arisato Minako/Shinsou Hitoshi, Monoma Neito/Shinsou Hitoshi
Kudos: 12
Collections: Boku no Hero Academia x Persona





	Cafe Shinso

It was quiet in the cafe, which was bad for business but good for a bit of tranquility, which was in surprisingly short supply at school. That said, Shinso wasn’t _alone_ , per se, given that he was still surrounded by a varied collection of domestic felines. He had just finished rotating some of the cats’ “shifts” before he headed back to the welcome counter. Shinso liked cats: they were needy, but not to the point of being distracting, and in any case they were so well provided-for here that they didn’t go clamoring for much, choosing instead to laze about for the majority of any given day, whether they were on break or not.

Even if customers weren’t around, he wasn’t allowed to browse his phone on duty; between the no-phone mandate and the fact that there were was no one to attend to, Shinso’s time on the job provided a rare opportunity for him to be alone with his thoughts. Everywhere else he was just… too _busy_. Even putting _both_ of his romantic relationships aside, there never seemed to be enough time. Although he was in General Studies, his schoolwork still demanded quite a lot of him—add Aizawa-sensei’s specialized training on top of all that, and it was amazing that Shinso had room for work at all.

He informed Yoshida-san that it could end up being some time before he would be able to assist him again. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Yoshida-san was very understanding and wished him luck. “Regardless of how Stain or the League feel, we need educated heroes more than ever right now. The system might not be perfect, but if it has conscionable young people like you going through it, I know we’ll be alright. I wish you the best, Shinso-kun,” he said. The encouragement made it easier to part with him, and somewhat softened the _culture shock_ that came with having Aizawa-sensei as a mentor.

Shinso felt lucky to have gotten Aizawa-sensei’s guidance—lucky that his ambition to transfer to the hero classes was being taken seriously. For as difficult (and sometimes unreasonable) as Aizawa-sensei seemed, he at least treated everything with the same severity when it came to his duties as a teacher.

And now those duties included Shinso.

They fit together rather well. The both of them had a sober and realistic way of viewing education, so they could trust the other to put in their best effort at all times. As long as Shinso didn’t waste Aizawa’s time, then he didn’t have to worry about having his own wasted, either. This didn’t mean that the teacher’s curriculum didn’t have its pain points, though; every lesson came with about as much irritation as enlightenment, though Shinso did his best to hide the former. No one said that hero education would be easy—especially not for someone in a disadvantaged position like his.

Nevertheless, it was obvious that Aizawa-sensei had cultivated a laundry list of lofty expectations while he was teaching what was likely the most famous batch of young heroes the world had hitherto seen. Was Aizawaequallyso harsh on the students of Class 1-A? Shinso likely wouldn’t admit it to any of the gifted talents in 1-A, but these extracurricular lessons were giving him a new appreciation for the tribulations that class must have gone through—villain incursions notwithstanding.

Similarity between sensei and pupil extended to their quirks, too. Not that their quirks were _actually_ similar, but their application in combat both revolved around disabling opponents. Much like Shinso’s, Aizawa-sensei’s quirk wasn’t useful in an offensive sense. It may be able to control the fight, but it would not be able to _end_ it. In that way, Shinso was a natural choice as the heir to Aizawa-sensei’s capturing weapon—the frightening “scarf” that enabled Aizawa-sensei to fight whether or not he was making use of his quirk.

To Shinso’s frustration, the weapon was harder to use than it seemed—and it _seemed_ virtually impossible to use in the first place, the mechanics of its use likely a mystery to anyone besides Aizawa-sensei himself. The majority of the time, the scarf flailed ineffectually wherever Shinso threw it, lying limply until he slowly, angrily, disgracefully reeled it all back in; it felt more like a handicap than a weapon. It was like trying to throw a sheet of paper in the hopes of getting it to fly like a dart: if you hit the air right, it _just_ might work the way you imagined, but more often than not you would just watch the paper curl into the air and crash-land at your feet.

Shinso would have thought that the support team could create a more user-friendly version by now, but apparently something like this was destined to be tricky. The learning curve certainly explained why you didn’t see more heroes using it in the line of duty—if you could enhance any and every fiber in your body like Midoriya could, then there was no point wasting the effortof trying to master something so complicated.

Maybe Neito should invest in one, too, with the variability of his quirk?

The thought made Shinso smile—just a little. Getting Neito some equipment might make sense, but his boyfriend would most likely not appreciate the scarf’s effect on his “Phantom Thief” _aesthetic_.

What a problem to have, Shinso thought, who still had no hero outfit to speak of. When Shinso imagined himself as a hero in the future, there was still no clear image in mind for what his superhero outfit would look like. Aizawa-sensei had advised him to consider additional support items for use in the line of duty—something in _addition_ to the capture scarf—and to use that equipment as a jumping off point for his costume, but Shinso still hadn’t arrived upon any ideas.

Maybe Neito could even help with that. It was an embarrassing thing to burden him with, though: Neito obviously had enough of his own worries to concern himself with, and Shinso couldn’t see the point in troubling him with more, especially when these extra worries were low-stake, hypothetical ones. “What should my outfit look like?” or “What supports my quirk?” or questions of that nature would likely just annoy Neito—mostly because those were questions that Shinso should have to answer himself. That’s what the Phantom Thief had done, too, right?

At any rate, Shinso didn’t want to call any attention to the fact that he was “behind” class 1-A and 1-B in terms of their hero experience, real world and otherwise. Even if there was a difference in what they were being taught, or in their experience, or in their abilities, their drive to prove themselves (Shinso didn’t want to say “insecurities”) was something theyhad in common. Certainly, it was probably a quality the two of them shared with _most_ students at UA, but Shinso and Neito were approaching it from another position, with the both of them (in some way) resentful of the talents in 1-A.

That wasn’t something they discussed with each other much, but Shinso knew it was something they both felt. Shinso fancied that he could probably feel Neito’s ambition even if he wasn’t getting as many opportunities to obnoxiously antagonize his competitors. But he also knew better these days thatthe hostility generated by this pressure to succeed was not solely (or at least mostly) internal, the way Shinso’s was. The Phantom Thief had certainly gotten unlucky with his parents—those sort of outdated views weren’t exactly _rare_ , but they had certainly been dwindling in popularity, and somehow Neito had to be stuck with some of _those people_.

He hoped that it would become a catalyst for Neito’s growth rather than a chip on his shoulder, letting it turn him into some sort of hero whose insecurity ended up identifying him… since that was _currently_ what seemed to identify him to most of the student body at present. Shinso doubted that Neito would give up, either way, and—as long as that didn’t change—he would try to be there to support his efforts.

It felt strange to end up mixing everything: Shinso was trying so hard to become a genuine hero and yet had somehow picked up two romantic interests who were _also_ doing their best to reach the same goal. Becoming a hero used to be the thing he cared about most—the _only_ thing. But between Neito and Minako, he seemed to be doing a lot of playing around. Maybe getting entangled in this little relationship web was a mistake, after all?

He could barely remember how it had all even happened; Shinso had been so uninterested in having more than a professional relationship with _anyone_ at school, and now bizarrely found himself—along with Minako—in the middle of some sort of unorthodox consensual love quadrangle—one where none of the parties concerned looked like they really belonged, particularly given the demanding institution which they had landed in.

For one, there was Aigis, who wasn’t (technically) even human, which would typically make one beg the question of _who_ , exactly, would be interested in someone like that? Not because she was unattractive or irritating or anything of that nature, but because she was such an anomaly.

And on the other end of the relationship chain, there was Neito, whose front-end consisted largely of insecurity and obnoxiousness—not exactly _boyfriend_ material when viewed through that lens. To many, the prospect of overbearing in-laws probably made him even less appealing.

Then there was Shinso himself, who had to keep remembering what he was really in school for—romance and companionship didn’t even make that list, despite the situation he found himself in now. He tried his best to be as neutral as he could, but some classmates seemed to rally around him regardless.

And finally, rounding out the quartet was Minako, who perhaps was the only romantically enticing person in this list, if not necessarily the only likable one. There probably wasn’t a single student in 1-C who had trouble with her—but perhaps Shinso held some bias there.

She was in many ways the opposite of Neito, come to think of it. Minako Arisato appeared to have all the confidence and ease of being that Neito Monoma hadn’t, even though it was Neito who had made it into the hero program. If her looks weren’t enough to do it, her kindness seemed enough to ingratiate her with everyone. She was smart, cheerful, pleasant to be around, and at least a little bit mysterious—if only because she was busy entertaining the whims of an experimentalrobot. Maybe smiling a lot really was the key to making friends.

She was also _surprisingly_ naughty. Certainly, he and Neito had shared some illicit kisses on school grounds, but nothing that would get them kicked out of school. What he and Minako had done together, on the other hand—even if it had only happened once—was _definitely_ grounds for expulsion, and Shinso considered them lucky for not having been seen by eye or quirk… apparently. Shinso couldn’t say he didn’t _enjoy_ that diversion, but they would probably need to choose more discreet locations in the future.

And he certainly hoped that they _would_ be doing more together in the future, as long as they would be able to control themselves until they reached someplace private. The two of them were fortunate to have such relatively relaxed parents, contrary to the way that Neito’s carried on. Just another point in Minako’s favor, when it came to evaluating her overall appeal relative to the rest of the people in class… or even the other people Shinso was dating. Really, he counted himself lucky to have such an appealing girl on his arm.

But did that mean she ranked higher than Neito Monoma?

Strangely… no, it probably didn’t.

He and Minako had a lot of fun—they had good chemistry, certainly enjoyed each other’s company, and were both happy to spend time with one another; strangely, fun was _all_ they had. It felt a bit unorthodox to use that as a mark against his affairs with her, but the truth was that Shinso found himself more invested in his ties to Neito. That wasn’t necessarily Shinso’s _fault_ , since he had pretty much just been caught up in Neito’s problems—but that sort of hardship added more layers to the bond that they shared. There were ups and there were downs; there was a pace to it; a _groove_.

With Minako—lovely as she was—that same depth of emotion simply wasn’t there. Time spent with Monoma was just more caloric, despite Minako’s sweetness; it was like comparing a pastry made with real sugar versus one built upon a dubiously healthier sugar substitute which, delicious though it may seem, was altogether unsatisfying in comparison…

Shinso shook his head, deciding to abandon this analogy.Probably best to abandon this line of thinking altogether, he thought. It was _weird_ to be “ranking” his significant others in this way—but then again, it was weird for him to have multiple partners to begin with.

It just seemed to him that dating two people at once made it very easy to highlight the differences between them, both good and bad. Sometimes that felt unfair, though. He shouldn’t value his relationship with Minako less than his relationship with Neito just because he hadn’t ever had a date with Minako which bummed him out…that wouldn’t make any sense.

It occurred to him that these thoughts might be dawning on him because he was aware of how little time he had to himself. He was a busy guy—often too busy to be having fun on his own time, so he was lucky he could do so with his romantic interests. A part of him felt that it was all starting to be a little too much. The responsible thing would be to terminate both of his courtships so that he could focus on what was most important—the same thing that was most important to all of them—becoming a hero.

But breaking off all his ties might be too cruel. Cutting off from one of them, however… that might be more reasonable.

Guilt nagged at him, though;he realized that he had already decided _who_ he would break up with, if making that choice ever became necessary.

When Shinso heard the bell on the door, he set his worries aside along with a bundle of feather toys, shifting back into service mode as he slid behind the counter in order to greet the customers… only to be met with the face of the girl he had just been trying to shamefully shove out of his mind.

She wasn’t alone, as it turned out.

“Arisato-san, Aigis-san. Welcome to Kandori Cat Cafe. Would you like to order anything to drink, or are you just looking for admission?” He offered them his best business smile, which he knew wasn’t very good. Even if he knew the both of them, he wanted to at least play the part his job instructed. Since this wasn’t Minako’s first time, she probably understood, but he’d never seen Aigis here before—Shinso wondered if there was some kind of occasion.

Minako gave him a smile. “Just admission, for now. I wanted to show your cats to Aigis-chan.”

“Not my cats, but I hope she likes them,” he replied, his smile real this time. Their fingers touched as Minako handed him the money, and Shinso couldn’t help suspecting she did that on purpose.

“Good afternoon, Shinso-san,” said Aigis, standing close beside Minako. Shinso had towonder if Aigis also regarded the arrangement of their relationship as a bit odd—or even if Aigis might be a bit threatened at having to share Minako with another romantic interest. He couldn’t blame her if she did—but he also couldn’t afford to let himself worry about it, considering he ended up in this situation pretty much by accident, himself.

Either way, he was pretty certain they had arrived at an amicable understanding together. Against his will, Shinso had once gotten an opportunity to speak privately with Aigis; naturally, he _could_ have gone out of his way to make overtures of friendship toward her, but that wasn’t really a habit he had developed in regards to _any_ person, let alone a strange robot who had transferred into his class halfway through the year. He wasn’t obligated to make friends simply because Minako was also seeing a robot, was he?

Yet coincidence had manufactured a situation that demanded their interaction when—at the close of homeroom class—they were given the day’s cleanup duty together.

Well, that wasn’t really true. It was not as though dusting and mopping the room actually demanded any conversation on their part under normal circumstances, but Shinso sensed that the weight of their shared acquaintances was beginning to encumber the both of them. After all, even if you set Minako aside, Aigis was _still_ somehow friends with Monoma, so Shinso would not be rid of her any time soon. The tension of silently cleaning alongside someone like that would be too much, even for him.

And in any case, Aigis had never done these duties before, so someone had to explain it to her.

“You can collect the dust and other detritus,” he had said, handing her a broom. “I’ll wipe the desks. By the way… what should I call you? Lots of the others call you ‘Aigis’, but do you prefer ‘Yamagishi’?”

“’Aigis’ is fine, Shinso-san,” she replied, obediently taking the broom in hand. Her eyes lingered on his, and he could tell that she wanted to talk, too—badly, it seemed; he felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment just looking at her, which only made it more difficult for _him_.

But what exactly were the two of them supposed to talk about? All sense of social decency that Shinso had in his possession was screaming for him to create an amiable relationship between the two of them, but how was he supposed to make that happen? They knew the same people, but was he really just supposed to be discussing Minako and Monoma with her?

The difficulty of it annoyed him, and he knew it wasn’t Aigis’s fault, but the truth was that Shinso ended up on good terms with most people by complete accident, and while there was certainly no _enmity_ between he and Aigis, he had no clue where to begin with her—which was strange, because even though Aigis was a robot, she honestly wasn’t that difficult to interact with; plenty of his other classmates had proven this many times over. Sure, everyone knew that Aigis was not, strictly speaking, a human being—occasional social indiscretions highlighted this well—but for the most part, Aigis was more like a foreign transfer student than she was an android.

Overall, though, Shinso still felt some resentment. Maybe not resentment for _Aigis_ , but for the social obligation he felt to her as someone who was dating her girlfriend… oh, and as someone dating her friend, too. The situation was just too strange for them _not_ to be on friendly terms with each other, but it’s not like they could be friends just by being polite to each other. To tell the truth, Shinso didn’t actually want to resemble a pair of co-workers—salarymen who only spent time with each other because they _had_ to. Shinso had his own reasons for being interested in Aigis, after all—who wouldn’t be? She was a _robot_. The last time most UA students saw one of those would have been during the entrance exam.

“Look,” he said eventually, looking up from the desk he’d been scrubbing. “I think you already know I’m not in the habit of making friends, Aigis-san. But out of respect for Arisato-san… I feel like we’d both be better off if we came to some kind of understanding.”

It wasn’t the friendliest of starts, but Aigis still interrupted her sweeping to turn to him, neutrally returning his gaze. He held it for a while, and was about to continue before Aigis finally opened her mouth: “I think I understand. I would like it if we could become friends, too, Shinso-san.” To Shinso’s mild surprise, she gave him a friendly smile.

“Well… friends are nice, but don’t force yourself. I won’t be.”

She nodded. “Yet despite what you just said, it seems to me that you have many friends, Shinso-san. Our class speaks highly of you, and I know that you are treating Minako-san well. Monoma-san assures me that you are a warm friend.”

Shinso felt his eyebrows rise; he hadn’t realized that Aigis had him at such a disadvantage. A weak jab of guilt pricked him inside as he realized how little he asked Minako about her… but then again, what business was it of his? If anything, it was a little odd that Aigis was performing so much research on him instead of simply approaching him herself. He clenched his jaw, trying to control his response—this was supposed to be a diplomatic chat, after all.

“They speak highly of me, huh? I wasn’t aware there were so many rumors about me going around,” he said, his voice betraying just a touch of irritation.

“If there are rumors, I am also not aware of them,” she replied, looking at him a little quizzically. “I was referring to your performance during the sports festival. You were the only student of our class to place so highly.”

Shinso watched her silently, tapping his fingers on the desk before him. He was growing suspicious at how typically this conversation was going—maybe a little disappointed, too. “I never really thought about it since you transferred in afterward, but I guess you saw that too, huh?”

“Yes. Watching the sports festival is one of the things that made me want to begin attending UA. I can remember your match clearly, as well.” She smiled a little, as if pleased with this fond memory. Shinso wondered for a moment if she was making fun of him.

“Right. That was a short fight; I’m guessing that’s not exactly what inspired you to come to this school,” he said dryly, thinking back on the fight with mixed feelings.

At this, the smile drained from Aigis’s face and she watched him in polite and embarrassed silence, clearly at a loss for what to say to that, perhaps too abashed to confirm or deny such an allegation. Shinso found it a bit endearing, despite his best efforts.

He chuckled. “Hit the nail on the head, huh? That’s alright. I kind of appreciate that you didn’t try to deny it.” He smiled thinly, wondering how they had strayed to this topic. “I’m guessing you got into the school without any issues, too, huh? You’re built for typical hero work, I suppose. Reminds me of someone I know.” He sighed, trying to push all memories of the sports festival out of his mind.

“That is true. As far as I’m aware, I was only allowed into the school on the strength of Fuuka-san’s request. But I was not entered into the hero program, as you’re aware. However, I’ve been briefed on what the entrance exam consisted of for the rest of the students.”

“Uh huh. And do you think you would have been placed in the hero course—had you taken the exam?” He resumed his absent-minded scouring of the desks.

Aigis returned to her sweeping in kind. “Having witnessed only some of the talents from the students in 1-A and 1-B… I cannot say with certainty, but I believe I could have posed a threat. I am glad that the faculty chose to default me into 1-C, however.”

Shinso felt a shock of annoyance in his belly, but he tried to suppress it. “Because of Arisato-san, right?”

He expected her to look furtive or guilty, but instead she smiled proudly. “Yes. I’m very grateful to have met Minako-san—and to have become so close to her.”

“Then what about becoming a hero?” he asked dryly. “Why are you here?”

She blinked. “It is my desire to become a hero, but I know it will be difficult for… someone like myself,” she said, as though there was anyone like her. As though there were some precedent either way. “I am grateful to have been accepted by UA regardless of the class.”

“Then why UA? Why go to school?”

“Because...” she trailed off, watching Shinso cautiously as she considered the question. “I wished to be apart of the activities I saw at the festival. To learn in a place full of people who are like the Arisato-san I grew up with.” Her voice sounded a little cold, and Shinso decided she’d never looked more robotic than now. Shinso had never seen her angry, but now he wondered if she was capable of such an emotion.

He tried to relax. “I guess not everyone can have the same dream… if anything, that just makes it easier for me. But I don’t think I would say I’m satisfied with being in 1-C, personally.” He shrugged. “Let me ask you a question, then, Aigis-san: would you sacrifice your relationship with Arisato-san if it meant getting into the hero program? If it meant you could become just like Wild Card?”

Again, she went quiet, her gaze slowly returning to the broom she’d been handling. She kept on sweeping in surprised silence, almost as if she hadn’t been engaging with him at all. Was she ignoring him now? Or maybe she simply didn’t have an answer. That was… surprising, to say the least; if nothing else, Aigis always seemed loyal, so she would surely choose Minako? The puppy dog comparison didn’t come out of thin air…

“As for me, I think I _would_ make that sacrifice,” Shinso continued, bringing an end to the brief hush. “I don’t know how it is for you, but becoming a hero is a goal I’ve had inside me as long as I can remember. Even after learning about my quirk, and after hearing how people felt about it. Then I failed that entrance exam… like the others—like Minako-san. I doubt General Studies was anyone’s first choice, in this class.

“What I’m saying is… I don’t have anything negative to say about Arisato-san, but my goal is a bigger part of me than she is—bigger than any of my relationships, for that matter.” He paused, reflecting on those words for a moment. “If you’re judging my fitness as Arisato-san’s partner, I guess you should know that.”

Once more, Aigis looked a bit surprised. She fiddled with the broom for a moment before she responded. “I believe you, Shinso-san. I am pleased that you are so determined… but I do not intend to give you the impression that I am gauging your compatibility with Minako-san.” She set the broom aside, bringing her hands together thoughtfully. “I feel some guilt in admitting it, but the truth is that your words relieve me.”

Shinso blinked, a little bit impressed. He would have thought that provoking a puppy means you get bitten. Especially in regards to that pet’s master. “Relief, huh?”

“That’s correct. In the first place,” she continued, “I am not capable of judging who Minako-san wishes to be with. Secondly, even though I appreciate and comprehend Minako-san’s desire to be with people besides myself, I must admit that… there are times where I wish I could be enough; it took some time, but I now have a good idea of what jealousy feels like.” She looked a little ashamed. “So when you say that your goal goes above all else, it gave me some relief. I know that is a selfish thought. But please believe me when I say that your being with her is best for all of us.”

That was… surprisingly normal, Shinso thought. He was reminded a little of Neito. This entire thing may not be an ideal situation for him, either, and Shinso didn’t even have as good an excuse as Minako did. He wasn’t seeing an android, after all. There wasn’t really a particular need that Neito Monoma would be unable to meet—at least, not so far. At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about getting his fingers pinched in machinery or anything. Maybe Shinso was just greedy, then? Still, he couldn’t really argue with her: her desire—normal as it was—was still a bit selfish.

He opened his mouth to reply, but Aigis raised a placating hand to delay him.

“More appropriate to our original topic, Shinso-san, I believe you do not give yourself enough credit. Pursuing a goal to the exclusion of relationships with others is not heroic behavior.”

Shinso frowned. Was she trying to lecture him, now? “But that’s exactly what I said I would do. Maybe someone in your position can’t understand, since you’ve already fought crime—but that’s something I have to reach on my own.”

Aigis nodded politely, smiling again. “Yes. My point is—even if you say that—that is not the behavior that you exhibit. Your efforts motivate the rest of the class—including myself and Minako-san. I believe everyone holds you in high regard, and that everyone knows you work the hardest of anyone in 1-C when it comes to becoming a hero. And yet you remain close to people like Minako-san and Monoma-san, so… you resemble a hero more than you realize. That is my opinion.”

Shinso stood still, wondering if he had ever heard her speak so much before. It seemed to him that she was making a lot of assumptions about him, but… he also thought it would be difficult trying to refute any of it. In any case, these weren’t the kinds of accusations that someone should try to hide from, right? She was just going off of the evidence, like you would expect anyone to do. And maybe it was true… perhaps he leaned into the loner role a little too much, even when he had the support of the class behind him.

He thought back to the aftermath of his fight with Midoriya. Even then, classmates were there to cheer him on. He’d been trying his hardest not to disappoint them ever since.

“I hope you’re right, Aigis-san,” said Shinso, eventually. “Though it wasn’t really my intention to become some kind of representative for 1-C. Don’t depend on me too much—you can tell the rest of the class I said that.”

“Very well, Shinso-san,” she replied, nodding gravely at this new duty. She gripped the broom once more, determined to finish the job this time. “I hope that I have not said anything to offend you. I wanted only to clarify that you are an admirable person and, despite what I said earlier, I am glad Minako-san can be with someone like you.”

Aigis seemed pleased, and Shinso tried not to be too embarrassed at this. “Alright, Aigis-san,” he started, stepping toward her. “You said you wanted to become friends; I’m not going to make any promises there, but I get the feeling we’ll get along just fine.”

She looked taken aback when he offered his hand, giving it an astonished glance before looking back up to him. Her expression softened into a smile as she brought her hand to his, clasping his hand softly. The warmth of her hand took Shinso by surprise, as well, and he wondered if that warmth radiated to the rest of her body, as well. Perhaps he would be able to ask Minako sometime…

“Now that’s over with, let’s try and finish this room, alright?” asked Shinso, releasing Aigis’s hand to return to his class duties.

Aigis had seemed a little more cheerful, after that. If she reported Shinso’s behavior to Minako, he hoped that he would be able to pass muster. Aigis didn’t seem like the type to try and sabotage him for the sake of her own relationship with Minako, after all. Well, it wasn’t as though Shinso wouldn’t be able to give his own report of their interaction, should something go wrong.

He certainly hadn’t expected to see the two of them together so soon, however.

“How has your training been, Shinso-san?” asked Aigis, as Minako went to go and fawn over the cats—some of whom clearly recognized her, for better or worse.

“Exhausting. Can’t complain otherwise, though. Aizawa-sensei has been a huge help. I’ll let you and the others know if he mentions anything about helping anyone else in class.” He doubted that would happen, since Aizawa no doubt already struggled with his schedule, but he _was_ a teacher at UA, after all; he could probably do the impossible if he had to. “Do you want me to recommend you to him, or something?”

Aigis shook her head, watching as Minako swung one of the cat wands hither and thither. “No. I believe Minako-san and I will find our chance in time. In any case, my goal has shifted to something simpler for the short-term: there is something I must become _before_ I am able pursue heroics.”

Shinso gave her a sideways glance. “Do I want to know?”

“I cannot answer that question,” she replied with a smile, apparently pleased to recognize a rhetorical question. “But to be more specific, I have decided it would benefit me to become ‘more of a person’, rather than ‘more _like_ a person’. More… human.”

So that’s what it was, Shinso thought. He had suspected something of that nature, watching the way Aigis had changed since her enrollment—from the way Monoma and Minako spoke about her. It didn’t really surprise him that _appearing_ human was only the first step for her. That said… he imagined there would be quite a lot of work for her to do.

“More human, huh? You think you can do that?”

Aigis shook her head. “I do not know. But I have thought about the reasoning for your placement in 1-C, Shinso-san. Even though your quirk was ill-suited to the entrance exam, you are still striding toward your goal. I don’t know if this applies to you, but I’ve realized this: sometimes the talents you are born with are not the ones that suit what you want most. Despite that, however, you are doing your best with what you have—so I have decided that I will try to do the same.”

It embarrassed him a bit to be held up as some kind of exemplar, but… it wasn’t that terrible a feeling, he realized.

“On that note,” she continued, “becoming a hero that people look up to… may be too difficult just now. For the time being, I will wish you good luck, since you’re going ahead alone.”

Shinso nodded, a little too embarrassed by the praise to respond eloquently. “Thanks, Aigis-san,” he said eventually. “I don’t think you’re far from your goal, so you might still be able to catch up, if you’re lucky,” he chuckled. “Anyway, shouldn’t you go join your girlfriend?”

“She is your girlfriend, too, Shinso-san,” Aigis observed, smiling. “Thank you for listening; you are the first person I’ve told that to, I believe.” She gave Shinso a slight wave as she stepped away, drifting toward the cats as Minako beckoned her.

Shinso returned to the register, watching as the two of them made friends with the pets.

“My girlfriend… that’s true,” Shinso agreed quietly, just to himself. For all his ruminating, their arrangement—unique though it was—was starting to seem rather… reasonable. Maybe they would all be together for a while yet. And since getting to know Aigis hadn’t been so bad, maybe Neito would ultimately feel the same way about Minako. And before they knew it, everyone would be dating everyone.

Well… maybe not.

Shinso still reached for his phone, though. Maybe he would invite Neito over—while the girls were still here.


End file.
